Baku, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan University of Languages

Azerbaijani

Beginning, intermediate and advanced

June 8 – August 11, 2010

Dates are inclusive of travel and the pre-departure orientation in Washington, DC. Students are required to participate in the full program, including the pre-departure orientation. All travel will be arranged for participants following selection.

The CLS Program offers courses designed to develop students’ listening, reading, speaking, spoken interaction, and writing skills. Classes at the Azerbaijan University of Languages will also provide students the opportunity to learn about Azerbaijani culture, history, and geography in the process of learning the language. Syllabi will be devised based on students’ levels and interests, and evaluations tools such as weekly quizzes, midterm exams, and final exams, will assess students’ abilities. Students may also have excursions to locations such as Baku’s fountain square, the opera and ballet theaters, and the museum of history, and participate in events like folk dance workshops and gutab-cooking competitions.

Students will receive a minimum of 20 hours per week of formal classroom instruction. Participants will also be required to take part in organized semi-formal and informal learning activities that will promote interaction with the host community and culture. These activities will support the formal classroom instruction. Students will also participate in a variety of cultural enrichment lectures and activities.

All components of the CLS Program have been developed as part of the language acquisition process. CLS participants are required to attend all program components, including, but not limited to, language instruction (formal/informal), cultural activities, and excursions. Absences will only be excused for medical or other approved reasons.

Students will be housed with host families and will receive stipends to cover meals not included with the home stay.

The roots of the Azerbaijan University of Languages can be traced to 1937 with the establishment of the School of Foreign Languages within the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute. In 1959, the Institute merged with the Azerbaijan Institute of Russian Language and Literature, before emerging as an independent institution in 1973. Since gaining university status in 2000, the Institute has been known as the Azerbaijan University of Languages and currently instructs over 4,000 undergraduates in a number of academic disciplines.

For more information about the Azerbaijan University of Languages, please visit: http://adu.edu.az/en/